Strasbourg president Marc Keller: ‘Emmanuel Emegha turned down ten offers this summer’ | OneFootball

Strasbourg president Marc Keller has revealed that captain Emmanuel Emegha rejected “around ten offers” during the summer transfer window, before agreeing a deal that will see him join Chelsea at the end of the 2025/26 season.

“When Emmanuel arrived here, he was being chased by all the big clubs in England and Germany – thanks to BlueCo, he came to Strasbourg,” Keller explained at the conference transcribed by RMC Sport. “After a remarkable second season, we received approaches from Italy, England, and Germany. We sat down with the player, his agent, the owners and myself. The priority was to keep him, because he is a striker, a leader, he carries everyone with him. We found an equilibrium: he will join Chelsea in a year, but in the meantime, he stays with us.”Keller insisted that Emegha himself was instrumental in ensuring he would spend another year at the Meinau. “The player made efforts. He wanted to stay. For a player who turned down ten offers, it’s important that people know he is totally committed. I don’t want him to be whistled – he doesn’t deserve it. If he has a bad game, that’s football, but not on this subject.”Emegha joined Strasbourg from Sturm Graz in 2023 and has since become one of the most highly-rated forwards in Ligue 1, earning the captain’s armband this summer. Emegha was the subject of fan protests during Strasbourg’s last home game against Le Havre, as Ultra Boys displayed a banner reading “Emegha, pawn of BlueCo. After changing shirt, give back your captain’s armband”. GFFN | George Boxall